How Americans watch TV has changed over the last two decades, and who watches what type of TV platform has also changed and is in a constant state of flux. In July 2022, streaming services first captured more viewers than cable or broadcast TV, marking a significant milestone in the history of technology as well as pop culture. So that means cable is dead, right? Well, not so fast. The numbers show that cable is still hanging on and that when this shift happened 34.8% of TV viewers were primarily streaming, 34.4% were mainly plugged into cable, and 21.6% still primarily used the “bunny ears” to watch broadcast TV. 

The numbers and trends support streaming taking more of the TV viewing market share in the future, but a deep dive of the demographics reveals some interesting aspects of TV consumption. When age, ethnicity, gender, and income are taken into account, the numbers show some definite viewing differences in regards to favored platforms, yet there are also some notable commonalities across all groups. Understanding these numbers will be important for a number of different brands that rely on TV for their messaging.

From Cable to Streaming

Americans aged forty and older grew up with cable being the dominant platform of watching TV. The cable TV business began in the United States in the 1950s but did not become dominant until the 1980s, when advances in technology allowed it to enter most homes. Streaming began in the 2000s but did not become common until the introduction of Wi-Fi, highspeed internet, and streaming services in the 2010s. It was at that point that younger consumers began “cutting the cord” of cable in great numbers and streaming seemed to destined to put cable in the grave.

As of 2023, 85% of all American households subscribe to at least one streaming service, and from 2015 to 2021 the percentage of American adults with a cable TV subscription dropped from 76% to 56% of the population. The drop in cable subscriptions has been filled by streaming subscriptions, but a deeper dive into the numbers tells a more complex story than just the potential demise of one platform and the victory of another. 

A Deep Dive by Age

Generational differences are one of the major driving forces behind the transition from cable to streaming. The idea is that younger people are more receptive to changes in technology and that streaming caters to their lifestyles. At first glance, the numbers do appear to support this idea. A 2021 survey by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company revealed that the majority of Generation Z, Millennials, and Generation X prefer streaming over cable or broadcast TV at 77%, 74%, and 66% respectively, while only 40% of Baby Boomers prefer streaming. With that said, a closer look at the numbers reveals that only 38% of Boomer prefer cable, indicating that older Americans are also cutting the cord and adopting streaming. 

Generational aspects of streaming versus cable will be discussed more later in a deeper dive in this report, but now let’s move to some other interesting demographic considerations.

Ethnicity

When race and ethnicity are considered, black Americans watch the most TV, across all platforms, on average, spending an average of 3.5 hours a day watching TV in 2022. Still, black Americans’ average viewing has dropped, as it did with white and Hispanics as well, but interestingly it increased among Asian Americans to about two hours a day on average. An examination of streaming habits by ethnicity reveals even more interesting information.

A study conducted by Nielsen indicated that the overall streaming population is 60% white, 17% black, 17% Hispanic, and 4% Asian. Compared to the overall US population, blacks stream slightly more on average while Asians stream less. Furthermore, Hispanics are more likely to use online video platforms to watch TV, which includes video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Rumble as well as popular streaming services. Among the most notable streaming services, Tubi is the most popular among non-whites, with blacks using the service at three times their share of the general population. 

Gender

A 2017 Pew poll that was taken about five years before streaming overtook cable illuminated some notable difference in the TV viewing habits between men and women. The poll showed that at the time both women and men consumed most of their TV through cable, but it was ten points higher for women (65%) than men (55%). Men were also more likely to claim streaming as their primary TV platform (31%) than women (25%). These numbers have moved in the direction of streaming in the years since the poll was published, but it demonstrates that there is a gap, albeit slight, in the viewing preferences of men and women.

Income

The same 2017 Pew poll also revealed some notable facts about TV viewing preferences by income. The often overlooked reality of the cable versus streaming debate is that both of those TV viewing platforms have a cost. For people in the lower income brackets, subscribing to cable or streaming services may be out of their budget so they instead choose to consume most of their TV via a digital antenna. Those in households earning less than $30,000 a year were more likely to answer that they relied primarily on a digital antenna for most of their TV, with 14% claiming this compared to just 5% of those who live in households that earn $75,000 or more a year. 

Diving Even Deeper

A look at the numbers clearly indicates that streaming will likely hold on to its lead in its battle against cable, but does this mean cable is dead? There’s no doubt that streaming has a wider appeal across most demographics, yet a closer look at the numbers reveals that “linear TV,” which includes cable and antenna TV, still holds a considerable share of the TV viewing market. 

A report by Deloitte Insights shows that for those who cite cable TV as their most valued media service after the internet, the average age is 57. This demographic, which is on the older end of Generation X, makes $78,570 on average a year and holds 25% of the TV viewing market. This may seem to indicate that Americans in their 50s are just not interested in streaming, but a closer look at the numbers shows this is not true. A Nielsen report indicates that Americans in their 50s represented the largest increase in streamers since 2020, proving once more that the cable versus streaming numbers are somewhat complex.

The numbers appear to show that cable will still have a place in the TV viewing landscape in the years to come. The segment of the TV viewing audience described as “highly subscribed,” which refers to people who subscribe to about eight paid services instead of the average of five, comprises about 21% of the market share. The generational breakdown of the highly subscribed is the following: Zoomers 16%, Millennials 24%, Xers 25%, Boomers 29%, and Silents 6%. This indicates that many older Americans with more money prefer cable and streaming, as 76% of this demographic includes cable as one of their paid services.

There’s no doubt that streaming is the present and future of TV viewing. A demographic breakdown of the numbers proves this and shows that older generational cohorts are adopting streaming as readily as younger people. With that said, the numbers also show that although cable is in decline, it is holding on and does not show signs of dying anytime soon. As consumers age and make more money, cable will be one of the many paid TV services they keep because it gives them more options. Consumers like options, and when brands understand this in relation to TV viewing habits along demographic lines they’ll be able to tap into plenty of potential.